The MPLS WG Archive

[Tony Przygienda <prz@net4u.ch>]

> Another issue not covered is the operational use of IS-IS on this
> channel.  As IS-IS is used by SONET terminal/regenerator gear, what is
> going to happen to all the CPU and memory constrained ADMs out there
> when they start receiving the LSPs with all of the TE and GMPLS TLVs? 
> Many are limited to less than 50 nodes and less than 100 links in an
> Area -- and the Node/Link TLVs are certainly smaller than the TE/GMPLS
> TLVs.

This is something that a body equivalent to Nanog in SONET world should 
probably be concerned with. ISIS working group has as primary topic the 
standardization of bits on the wires between boxes to make sure that 
different vendors interoperate. Although things like application
guidelines and protocol analysis is common, it would be vain trying to 
publish RFCs with implementation guidelines since technology is still
galloping forward @ a speed that makes such publications often obsolete
within months. As to deployment issues with older gear that you outline,
IETF has been pretty much shaped by the Darvinian ISP approach "get them to 
upgrade your software, get them to upgrade your hardware, if they can't,
throw the gear away and pick up a better vendor". As an alternate solution,
you may just choose not to deploy all that optional new stuff ..

	--- tony